One Condition
by gingaloid
Summary: Emma's one condition? Don't lie to me. Will's one condition? Don't fall in love with me. Promises are made to be broken. AU Wemma fic. Rated T for later chapter s . **FULL SUMMARY INSIDE**
1. Laying the Foundation

**A/N: **Alright, apparently the fully summary was too long to fit in the summary box, so I'll have to copy and paste it here. This is my newest creation, "One Condition." I am promising you all now, there is no death of Will Schuester or Emma Pillsbury in this fic, so we can all breathe easily ;) This _is _an AU fic, though, so expect Emma and Will to be a bit out of character. As always R&R is much appreciated!

_Full Summary: _Emma Pillsbury just wants to be on Broadway. Will Schuester really wants a job and a date. When Will finds Emma crying in the back of a theater, he offers to help her break into the business if she goes out with him for a cup of coffee. Emma's one condition? Don't lie to me. Will's one condition? Don't fall in love with me. Promises are made to be broken. AU.

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Chapter 1: Laying the Foundation

She sat at the back of the theater, staring at the empty, lit stage. She'd been in New York for two years now, working herself as hard as she could in an attempt to break into Broadway. She could sing and she could dance, her acting was much better after the classes she took, but no matter how many times she got up on the stage and auditioned, she was rejected. How is it that no matter what she did, she wasn't good enough? Tears started to flow from her eyes and onto her cheeks, crying quietly in the empty space. The silence was suffocating, squeezing her into a tight spot, while the light on the stage screamed at her that she should just go back to Ohio and give up.

The doors at the back of the huge auditorium opened up and a man walked through, pushing a large bin. He looked about the same age as her, maybe a little bit older. He was wearing a dingy coverall suit with a rag tucked into the back pocket. He started walking towards her and she stood up, clearing her throat in an attempt to stop her tears. She wiped underneath her eyes with a thumb and let out a breath.

"S-sorry, I know I'm not supposed to be here." Her teeth caught her lower lip and she looked down at the ground. Busted. The theater had been closed for hours now after the most recent cast list was posted, but she couldn't bring herself to leave just yet.

"Nah, it's cool. I'm not going to tell anyone. The theater is a magical place," the man took a breath, looking at her, "Happy tears or sad?"

"Sad. Always sad."

"Care to talk about it?"

She looked up at his question, swallowing. Hazel eyes stared at her under messy, curly hair. His forehead was wrinkled and concerned, as if she actually mattered. Her head shook and she sniffled slightly.

"Not really. I'm interrupting your work. I'm sorry." Her hand gestured towards the bin he was pushing and he laughed, gesturing at himself.

"Now do I look like a janitor to you? I'm sneaking in just like you. I just don't have the legs or your big eyes to flirt my way in." He held out a hand. "I'm Will."

She eyed his hand for a moment before extending her own and grasping his lightly. "Emma."

"Emma. It's nice to meet you, Emma."

"You as well."

"So what's got you so sad?"

Taking a breath, Emma gestured towards the stage. She might as well just tell a complete stranger, rather than bottle it up. She had her pepper spray with her, so she saw no reason not to. Plus, there was something about the way he held himself in the brief moments since he approached her that made her want to tell him things, she just couldn't figure out why.

"I auditioned for another show this week, got a call back, got rejected. Again."

Will sat down in the seat next to where she stood and looked up at her. "Tough luck. How many auditions have you been on?"

"This month? Ten. The past two years? I don't even want to do that math." Emma sat next to him and looked up at the stage, shaking her head. "I just don't understand it, you know? I've wanted this for as long as I can remember. It's not about being known or having money. I just want people to feel. I want to use my passion to make people laugh or cry and feel things that they don't know how to feel otherwise. My intentions are pure, so why do I get nothing?" She swallowed and looked at him, laughing slightly. "Sorry, that was…I didn't…I don't usually blurt out my inner monologues to random strangers."

Will let out a laugh and looked over at Emma, gesturing to the stage. "What if I told you that I could help you with that?"

"I would tell you that I attempted the agent thing last year and there's a reason I do it on my own now."

"Come on, I'm serious. I'll help you."

Emma cocked an eyebrow and looked at him, her eyes narrowing. "What makes you want to help me? I am a complete stranger who you found crying in the back of a theater that she snuck in to just to cry. That doesn't exactly scream 'you should help me.'"

"No, you're right. It screams pathetic." He laughed a little, shaking his head when Emma looked offended, "I'm kidding. It's not pathetic. It just shows how badly you want it."

When Emma said nothing, Will sighed. He'd seen her audition for quite a few things under the cover of being a janitor in this very theater. He wasn't a janitor, but he was an agent looking for someone to represent. Instead of walking in all high and mighty like a lot of agents did, Will thought looking like a random Joe Schmoe would help him actually get to know the people for who they were, rather than who they thought he wanted them to be. His most recent client dropped him after they hit it big, starring in some movie alongside Meryl Streep and he was in search of someone new. He had bills to pay.

Emma was brilliant. Her voice was a bit weak by some standards, but the breathy quality gave her a uniqueness that Will was drawn to, and for being so tiny, she was a pretty versatile dancer. He'd been keeping an eye on her for the past few auditions and after seeing she wasn't on the list today, he decided to make a move and try to get her to work with him.

Reaching into his pocket, Will pulled out a business card and handed it to her. "Look, if you want help getting onto that stage, come by my office tomorrow at noon. If you show, we'll work something out. If not, then maybe you don't want it very badly. It was nice meeting you, Emma."

Flashing her a smile, Will stood and walked out of the theater, leaving the bin for the real janitor who'd come by later that night. Emma looked after him before looking down at the business card in her hand. It read "Summer Rain Talent" across the top in dark blue lettering. Dead center was the name William Schuester, followed by two phone numbers, an address and an e-mail. Biting her lip gently, Emma stood and shouldered her bag, pocketing the business card. Whether he was serious or not, Emma would show up as he said, at noon the following day, and listen to what he had to say. For all she knew it would be a complete bust and hoax, but if she never went, she'd never know. She had to take a chance; isn't that why she came here?

-x-x-x-

The next day at noon, Emma stood in front of a high rise building, biting her lip gently, looking up at the building before her. She'd done a bit of internet searching the previous night, trying to figure out all that she could about Will Schuester and Summer Rain Talent. There wasn't much that she was able to find about the agency itself, just that it had gone bottom up a few years ago and was now trying to boost its clientele. As far as Will Schuester, he'd kept his life pretty private. There was almost nothing about him online aside from being a partner in owning the agency with his father and brothers. As far as she knew, she could be getting scammed, but the worst thing she figured would happen is that it's a waste of time and she'd just go home and prepare for her next audition.

Taking a deep breath, Emma gripped the business card in her right hand, marching through the doors to the building and straight to the directory. She found the floor where his office was situated then walked to the elevator, calling it and stepping it. Pressing the appropriate floor number, she shuffled to the back of the elevator, standing in silence as the elevator began its slow creep up to the floor. Stepping off of the elevator, Emma took a deep breath and turned down the hallway, finding the proper office. Clearing her throat, she knocked on the open door gently before stepping in, biting her lip.

Will looked up from his computer screen, a small smirk gracing his lips. He knew she'd come, even if she wasn't sure of it. He could tell just from being with her for those few minutes that she was at least curious about the opportunity he was opening up to her. Standing and smoothing his tie, Will grinned widely and gestured for her to sit across from him.

"Emma," he glanced at the clock on the wall, "Noon on the dot. My, you're punctual."

"It's one of my best qualities." Emma stood nervously in the doorway for a moment before moving to sit in the chair opposite Will, looking across at him, watching him resume his seat.

"So how are you doing?"

"I'm fine, and yourself?"

"I'm doing well, I'm doing well. So what brings you here today?"

Emma's eyes narrowed slightly and she folded her hands in her lap. "Well you invited me here yesterday, and I was curious, since there wasn't much that I could find about you or Summer Rain Talents on the internet."

"Ah, you've been doing your research, then. Smart girl. Except we try to keep things off of the internet as much as possible. It's better to keep things at a one-on-one, personal level. So no, you probably wouldn't find much about us on the internet." Will smiled a little, folding his hands in front of him. "You, on the other hand, you're easy to find on the internet. Surprising how much one can learn from a simple Google search."

"How can you Google search me? You only know my first name."

"No, actually. I know your last name as well. I've seen you audition at least seven times before, slate and all."

Emma's eyes narrowed again and she sat back in her chair, head cocked to the side. Was he serious? So he knew her last name, alright it's not like her identity was exactly a secret, but this was all very weird. Will chuckled and pulled out a couple sheets of paper, clearing his throat before reading a few of his notes out loud.

"Emma Roxanne Pillsbury. Born in Grundy, Virginia, relocated to _Ohio_ of all places. Two parents, one brother. Attended three elementary schools, one middle school, and two high schools. No record of college which is interesting, but given your age, you must have come to New York fresh out of high school. Currently, you live in a studio apartment on the Upper East Side with one other roommate and you pay your bills by—"

Sitting up and holding out her hand, Emma's eyes widened, "Stop, stop. I – how do you know all of this? There can't be that much on Google about _me._"

"I have people. I like to know who I'm dealing with before I offer them my services." Will smirked. This was probably his favourite part about trying to hook new clients. He was sure to know everything about them, and in time, they would know everything about him as well. Often times, new talents wanted to hide things about themselves, hoping it would aid them in finding someone to help them get work. Most times, it just stopped them from getting what they were looking for.

Emma rolled her eyes, reaching across the desk and taking his notes from him, crumpling them up. "That's stalking, and I'm pretty sure it's illegal."

"You're sassy. I'm pretty sure that's annoying."

"So this was it? Get some girl crying in the back of a theater to come up to your office so you can freak her out, making her think you're some creepy stalker, all under the impression that you're some talent representative looking for a new client? I don't know what planet you come from, but on Earth, that's frowned upon and not entertaining." Emma set her jaw and glared across at him, honestly annoyed by this turn of events.

"Oh, don't flatter yourself, red. If I wanted entertainment, I wouldn't go after some whiny girl with big dreams at what appears to be a rather sharp, quick tongue. You want business? We'll do business." Will sat up very seriously and looked across at her. "I've seen you in about seven auditions over the past few months, you're good, but you could do better. My most recent client dropped me and I've been looking for someone to replace him. You've got just enough spunk and more than enough passion to carry yourself far. I would be willing to work with you and get you auditions, so long as you are willing to provide me with a ten-percent cut of any earnings you may receive, should you get a job on the stage."

Emma listened intently as he spoke seriously with her. Nothing that he was saying sounded terribly unreasonable, but she was still mildly creeped out by the fact that he knew so much about her, and still she knew so little about him. "Alright. Let's say that I actually consider hiring you to help me. I don't have enough money to pay you for your efforts. I've got a job, yes, but all of that money goes to paying my rent, my bills, and buying food. How do you suppose I compensate you for your time?"

"Coffee."

"Coffee?" Emma raised an eyebrow.

"Coffee. Once a week, we'll meet up for coffee, I'll let you know of any developments as far as finding you work, and you can let me know of any auditions you may have been on that I didn't know about. We'll go from there." Will's shoulders rose and fell as he looked across at the woman before him.

"Hm." Emma looked him over, biting her lip gently, considering his offer. "And how do I know you're not snowing me? I know nothing about you, Will Schuester, except that you have two fancy mobile numbers, this office, and an e-mail address. Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure all the ladies are wooed by the sexiness that is willthesuperschuesterman at gmail dot com, but I'm not as easily impressed." It probably wasn't the best idea to be sassing the man who could potentially be finding her work, but Emma couldn't help it. When she was uncomfortable or nervous, she started to sass people, and it only got worse whenever she was angry.

"Somehow, you sass me and it's just adorable." Will smirked at her and cleared his throat. "Alright, if it makes you feel any better, William Riley Schuester. Originally from California, moved to Ohio for a while, then came to New York about five years ago. This is my father's business and my brothers and I help him run it and are trying to build up a clientele again. I went to NYU for a while, studying economics and theater, and I live in a penthouse overlooking Time Square." Okay, maybe that was a lie. He lived in a rundown apartment in the Upper East Side, but still. If he told her that, she _would _think he was stalking her, which he wasn't.

"Ohio. Hm. Looks like we've got at least one thing in common." Emma bit her lip and nodded. "Alright, coffee and whenever I get work, ten-percent of my earnings. Now, my last agent was my manager as well, and I got snowed, so I insist on a different manager who is not you."

Will laughed. For still being relatively new to this whole thing, this girl knew what she was talking about. "Alright. I'll set up a meeting for you with my brother, Mitchell. That is, _if _you get some work under your belt. He'd probably be more than happy to manage you, but he's not going to be interested if you don't have any work to prove that you can pay his ten-percent. He's not as trusting as I am. So we'll wait until you get work before worrying about that. Sound good?" He smiled across at her, resting his head on his folded hands.

Emma moved forward, folding her hands, propped on his desk by her elbows, and rested her head on them, just as he was doing. She returned the smile, "Fine. One condition."

"Are we really in a position to be throwing around conditions?"

Emma raised her eyebrows and looked at him very seriously. Her father always told her to be stern when you want to be taken seriously. Will may be older than her, but she was not about to get pushed around. Making her voice as stern as possible, she made eye contact with him.

"You may be my agent and therefore representing me, but let's not forget that I'll be the one paying _your _bills, should I get any work. That makes me the boss in this situation, so yes. We are in that position." Her voice was slightly snarky, but she couldn't help it creeping in. She was nervous at times when she had to take control and be somewhat demanding.

Will's eyes widened, taken aback by her words. Maybe she wasn't as naïve as he took her for. "Alright, then. What's your condition?"

"Don't ever lie to me. You lie and I go back to finding work on my own."

"Sounds reasonable. Okay, no lying." _Except about where I live_, he added mentally.

"Good." Emma smiled, feeling a bit better about this whole thing. She sat back, straightening up. "So we agreed on coffee, right? How's tomorrow at ten? The Starbucks down the street from here." She asked, a smile still on her face.

"Perfect. I look forward to seeing you again."

"Perfect." Emma stood, holding out her hand. "I look forward to working with you."

Will stood, grasping her hand gently, but firmly. Their hands separated after a moment and Emma turned, heading out of his office.

"Oh, Emma?" He called, just as she stepped out of his office.

"Yes?" She asked, her hand on the door jamb as she looked at him over her shoulder.

"I've one condition of my own. If that's alright."

"That seems fair. What might that condition be?"

"Don't fall in love with me."

Emma laughed. Was he serious? There was a bit of a smirk on his face, but other than that, nothing to suggest that he was joking with her.

"I can assure you that won't be a problem. Goodbye, William Schuester." She wiggled her fingers in a wave and walked out of the door, heading back towards the elevator.

"See you tomorrow, Emma Pillsbury!" Will called after her, grinning to himself. She may be able to promise that she wouldn't fall in love with him, but after just under an hour with her, he knew that would be a hard promise for him to keep about her.

In all the times he'd seen her auditioning, he'd been able to gather that she had a great voice and a definite sweetness about her. He never would have guessed, though, that she was so sassy and slightly snarky. Usually, that sort of thing annoyed him, but coming from her it was just adorable. Her eyes were big and beautiful, even narrowed at him, and her smile was gorgeous. He would have been lying if he said he wasn't trying not to melt the whole time she sat across from him in his office. It was very possible that working with someone so heavenly could be potentially problematic, but he'd take that chance. After all, he needed to pay the bills somehow.

Emma got into the elevator and took it to the ground level, exiting and leaving the building. As she walked down the street, headed towards the subway, she rolled her eyes, remembering his condition. Don't fall in love with him? Sure, he was gorgeous with beautiful, hazel eyes and perfect hair, but that didn't mean she'd fall in love with him. He was too smug and smirked too much for his own good. She needed work and he'd find her jobs. That's all this was.

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**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own Glee, Emma Pillsbury or Will Schuester; that is all Ryan Murphy's property. I am also not Jayma Mays or Matthew Morrison, because if I were, I would be constantly staring at myself in a mirror, telling myself how beautiful and perfect I am.


	2. It's Only A Lie if You Admit to the Trut

**A/N: **Sorry this took a while to upload! I was confused about where exactly I want to go with this, but I have a pretty good idea now, I think. I just have way too many ideas for one person! This is unedited, so please excuse any grammar errors I missed when I did self-editing. R&R is super loved as always! -Tayma

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Chapter 2: It's Only A Lie if You Admit to the Truth

Eight o'clock the next morning, Emma was in the kitchen with her roommate, Corrine, making breakfast for the both of them. Emma was scrambling up a couple of eggs while Corrine worked on toast. Usually their mornings were chipper and talkative, but Emma was quieter, a little nervous for her meeting with Will in a couple of hours. She plated the eggs just as the toast popped up and washed the egg bowl and pan quickly before taking their plates to the table and sitting across from her roommate.

"So it's at ten, then?" Corrine asked, peppering her eggs and taking a bite. She scooped up a bite and placed it in the corner of her toast, taking another bite and looking across at her roommate.

Emma swallowed her own mouthful of egg and took a sip of her water, nodding. "Yes, but I don't really get why we're meeting up again today. It was my suggestion, but I realized, he can't have found more work for me already." She paused and tapped her fork against her plate gently. "It feels oddly like a date."

"A date with destiny!" Corrine made a dramatic gesture and looked up and to the right with a hopeful expression, causing Emma to laugh.

"Yeah, we'll see. I just really hope the work he finds me is _good_ work. I've been finding my own and look where it's landed me. In a tiny apartment that we pay way too much for each month, and still serving wings at a sports bar every night." She paused and looked up at Corrine. "I'm not complaining, either. Thank you for that."

"I know, I know. Your dream wasn't to come to New York and be 'objectified' as you call it. You wanted to be taken seriously as a woman with something to prove. Life's never how you plan it. You just have to give him a reason to give you good work."

"What do you mean?"

Corrine used her hands to perk up her chest a little bit, doing a small shimmy. "Perk up those girls, wear a low shirt and sway those hips, Emma Pillsbury!"

Emma blushed brightly, shaking her head. "Corrine, I'm not going to do that. It'll send him the wrong idea, and that – that's just humiliating." She watched her roommate stand up and take their empty dishes to the sink and start washing them up, moving to stand beside her and start drying them and putting them away.

Corrine was almost thirty years old and determined to stay a bachelorette her entire life. Her hair was black and straight, styled in a short a-line. She always wore bright red lipstick and dressed somewhere between a pin-up and a punk rocker, but she always pulled it off. When Emma first met up with her to see about taking up the roommate position, she almost walked away upon seeing the woman, but she was sweet, and in spite of being completely opposite how Emma was, they got along completely well. Corrine owned a sports bar and when Emma mentioned looking for a job after moving in, Corrine offered her a position on the spot, no application necessary. The pay was pretty good, but the tips were what actually paid her bills. Whether it was her cheery disposition or the fact their uniform consisted of cowboy boots, cut-off jean shorts and a red flannel shirt with ripped sleeves that tied just under the bust line, Emma had no clue and she really had no intention of finding out. The uniform humiliated her and made her feel so uncomfortable, but it was the only job willing to hire a girl with no prior work experience and an inconsistent schedule. Even if she did find another job, she could never leave Corrine's; the woman had become like an older sister to Emma and she couldn't let her down.

"Send him the wrong idea or make you him want to see you at work?" The older girl gave her a look and Emma sighed.

"He already knows where I work because he's a creepy stalker disguised as a gorgeous man, so nothing is stopping him from coming to see me. I just want to make a good, professional impression. I don't want him thinking that just because I work at your place that I'm…well, like you. I don't like the guy and I don't want to like him. He smirks too much and something about him is a smugness that I just can't handle." Emma finished putting the dishes away and leaned against the counter, smiling a little at Corrine's look of mock offense.

"Now generally speaking, I would be highly offended, but this is a big day for you and I'll let that comment slide. So get ready, go see that smug bastard and you lay down the law." She winked at Emma, walking out of the kitchen and towards the living room, grabbing her keys and coat, Emma following behind her.

"Alright, Em. I've gotta run. It's inventory morning and you know how long that takes." She walked over and kissed Emma's cheek, turning to the door and opening it, taking a step out. "You came to this city a timid little girl and I've molded you into a sassy woman. Make me proud."

Emma saluted, moving forward to lock the door once Corrine left, taking a breath. She looked at the time, realizing she had just under an hour before she was supposed to meet Will for coffee. She was nowhere near ready to be seen in public. Letting out a groan, she ran to her room to get ready, stopping by Corrine's on the way to borrow one of her favourite shirts; she knew Corrine wouldn't mind. Half an hour later, Emma was running out of her apartment, down the stairs, and out onto the street with ten minutes to get to Starbucks if she wanted to be on time. She hurried down the street, opting to hail a cab, rather than take the subway. She slid into the backseat and gave the driver her location, asking him to hurry, even though she knew there was no point in the request.

When the cab pulled up outside of her destination, Emma tossed the driver enough money to cover the ride, plus a little extra. She scrambled out of the cab and hurried onto the sidewalk, straightening herself out. She was wearing Corrine's green button-down shirt with a high collar, a pencil skirt with a thin silver belt and a pair of green high heels. It was possible that she was over doing it, even curling her hair a bit extra, but she was determined to make a good impression. Taking a breath, she shouldered her purse and walked into the Starbucks, going straight up to the line at the counter and looking around. She spotted Will, already sitting at a table in the corner and a cup of coffee in front of him. It was only then that she checked the time and realized she was five minutes late. Cursing herself mentally, she moved up to the counter and ordered her soy latte, giving the gentleman behind the counter her payment and moving to wait for her drink to be ready. She scooped up the latte as her name was called and walked over to the table Will was occupying, sitting across from him and smiling.

Will made great effort to smile when Emma sat across from him, rather than allowing his jaw to fall open. She looked really good when she cleaned up like this, and the whole professional look suited her well. It gave her the impression of a timid, yet sexy, librarian.

"Someone's late. Looks like your best quality's failed you today." Will smirked at her again, raising an eyebrow before taking a sip of his drink. Emma resisted the urge to roll her eyes, letting out a low breath. Him and that damn smirk.

"Yes, well. My roommate and I got pre-occupied with breakfast. It happens. How are you?"

"I'm doing alright. It's a bit early for me, but I guess that's the price of now having a job."

Emma nodded, sipping on her coffee, "Yes, I suppose it is. I doubt that you've found any auditions for me over the evening?"

"No, I haven't. You are the one who suggested we started the meetings today. Unless you had other ideas. I figured, though, that this time would be used to get to know each other."

"Nope, no that's fine with me." She bit her lip, reaching down to sip her latte again. "I guess we could just start with something basic, like your age. You already know I'm twenty."

"Alright, I'm twenty-eight years old. Twenty-nine in two months."

Emma's eyes squinted and she cocked her head, pointing at him. "Do you remember my condition? Don't lie to me? How old are you really?"

"Twenty-eight, I swear to you." Will reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, taking out his identification and handing it to her. "ID doesn't lie, ma'am."

"Wow. Okay, that's…I could have sworn…anyways. Okay, I believe you. You're twenty-eight." She handed back his identification card, nodding a little bit.

"I know I look younger than I actually am, but the same could be said about you. Generally speaking, you look about seventeen years old. Except today. Today you look about twenty-two, and I mean that in an extremely complimentary fashion."

Emma smiled against her will and looked down at the table. "Well thank you. So you said that you studied economics? Why are you a talent agent? If you want the money, you picked the wrong job."

"Well why are you a struggling actress?"

"I told you yesterday. It's what I'm passionate about."

"Ding! Ding! Ding! You have your answer, red."

Emma made a face at him, setting her coffee cup down on the counter. "Don't call me 'red.'"

"Aw, come on. I think it's cute. You're like a feisty Lucille Ball." Will smirked at her and took a sip of his coffee.

"I don't know if that's a compliment or an insult from you."

"Why would it be an insult?"

"Well do you like Lucy or hate her?"

"I love Lucy." Will laughed a little at his word play, which made Emma laugh in spite of herself.

"Okay, that was good, I'll give you that."

After that first laugh, conversation began to flow more easily as they sat in the Starbucks, sipping on their lattes. Hours passed by and they learned a lot about each other. Emma learned that Will was a Journey freak, he loved to sing and dance, his favourite color was blue, he drank more coffee than was normal for any one person, he was obsessed with cookies and he was the youngest of his family, having two older brothers in their thirties. Will learned that Emma's favourite color was emerald green, she was a bit of a neat freak at times and always carried hand sanitizer with her, she had never dyed her hair because she felt the ginger made her unique, she had an older brother who was twenty-five, she was slightly afraid of the dark and she was obsessed with Mamma Mia.

Each of them found that they greatly enjoyed the other's company, but Emma did her best to act like she wasn't that thrilled to be around him, and Will put extra effort into smirking at everything she said and teasing her at every open opportunity. Emma didn't want to admit that he was actually a really nice, very sweet guy, and Will didn't want to admit that Emma was extremely easy to fall harder for every time she opened her mouth.

After two lattes each, Emma looked at the time and gasped. It was three-thirty; she was late for work. Biting her lip, she looked at Will apologetically and cleared her throat.

"Look, it's been…pleasant…getting to know you, and I didn't realize so much time had passed, but uhm, I'm late for work. So, I have to go. I was supposed to be there at three." She pressed a hand to her forehead and stood frantically, slinging her bag over her shoulder. She wasn't even dressed in her uniform.

"So much for punctuality being your best quality."

Emma glared at Will with such intensity, even his smirk disappeared from his face and he shook his head, holding up his hands as if caught red-handed. "Not a time to joke. Got it."

Without another word, Emma dashed out of the Starbucks and down the street, towards her workplace, leaving Will watching after her, eyebrows raised.

-x-x-x-

"So he's cute."

"No, he's not cute, he's just…personable. As an agent, he is personable."

"So he's cute."

"He is not cute, Corrine. He's nice. He likes to talk and he's friendly. I wasn't bothered having coffee with him."

"So you want to sleep with him."

"Corrine!" Emma reached behind herself, smacking her roommate as she continued to braid her hair. "At least act like a lady."

"I'm not you, Emma. I don't pretend to be someone I'm not." She tied the elastic to the bottom of Emma's hair and moved to lay next to her on their makeshift bed on the floor.

"I'm not pretending anything, Corrine."

"Emma, in the two years you've been here, not once have you been late to work, even when you were sick you were early. Now you go to coffee with a guy at _ten in the morning _and arrive to work late almost six hours later? If you don't want to sleep with him, then you at least think he's cute and want to be around him, but you don't hate the guy, Emma. Even if you want to, you don't."

"You don't know that."

"I know you well enough to know that you like him. Deep down, you like that he's so smug and smirky. You liked having coffee with him, and you can't wait until next week."

Emma smiled and bit her lip, thinking forward to a week from now before shaking her head and making her face neutral. "Tss. Yes I can. I don't want to see him. I'm not excited for anything except the prospect of more work."

They were silent for a minute before Emma spoke up, speaking in a whisper. "He compared me to Lucille Ball."

"Is that good or bad?" Corrine asked, looking over to Emma.

Emma swallowed and turned on her side, propping her head up and looking at Corrine. "He said he loved her, but…I've always identified with her. Her life wasn't as beautiful and glamorous as everyone imagines it to have been. She had a really difficult time and she acted happy on the outside to cover up the darkness within. She's…she's who I've always identified with since I was younger. It's like he knew me inside somehow." Her eyes faded slightly as her mind thought back to her afternoon spent with a man she'd met three times now, but liked more than she cared to admit, even to herself.

"How do you feel about that, Em?"

Emma shook her head and shrugged. "He's just my agent. I don't feel anything about that. I feel like he better find me work."

Corrine rolled her eyes and nodded. "Okay, Emma." She rolled over and snuggled into her pillow, looking at Emma. "Goodnight, little sis. Sleep well, and if Will enters your dreams, cuddle your pillow, not me, will ya?"

Emma growled. "This is the last pretend sleep over we have, Corrine." She smirked a little and closed her eyes.

"Oh, look. His smirk is already rubbing off on you."

Emma took a spare pillow and shoved it over Corrine's face. "Shut up. Goodnight."

Corrine just laughed and closed her eyes, leaving Emma to lay in silence, trying to convince herself that she wasn't developing feelings for a guy she'd met two days ago. That was a condition, after all, and she planned to adhere to it.


	3. I Haven't Got it In Me I Never

**A/N:** For those of you who were wanting to see Will and Emma interaction, it's on the way (: I had to set it up just perfectly, and I think that I have. This story is taking me a bit longer to write, but it's getting there. R&R loved as always, and I hope you enjoy! -Tayma

* * *

Chapter 3: I Haven't Got it In Me; I Never Had a Chance

"No, you're just not finding the right kind of parts!"

"Or maybe you're just not good enough!"

"I am, too, good enough! I know I am!"

"Then why aren't you getting parts?"

"BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT THE RIGHT KIND OF PARTS!"

"OR MAYBE YOU'RE JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR THE PARTS, EMMA! DID YOU EVER CONSIDER THAT?"

The door slammed and she was gone.

Will had been working for Emma for the past seven months and things weren't looking up for her any. Emma had been on more than enough auditions, and he'd helped her prepare for each one. She was good; really good. She'd gotten plenty of callbacks, and she had been cast in one role, but the project went belly-up within three weeks and Emma was left frustrated, wondering if this was what she's cut out for.

He felt awful. He knew Emma was more than right for every part he found for her, and he knew that she was more than talented enough. But Emma didn't know it. Emma talked the talk all day long, and acted sassy and sure of herself, but she was far from actually feeling those things. That was the main difference between the other girls auditioning and Emma. Emma said she was confident, but she didn't always act it on stage when it came time for her to shine; other girls said they were confident and they exuded it under the hot spotlight in the center of the stage.

This wasn't a new conversation for them to be having, either. It happened each time she didn't get a role recently…which was after every audition for the past two months. She'd give what she said was her all on stage, but she wouldn't get anything out of it. Will knew there was more for her to give, Emma said she was giving more than enough. So each time she didn't get a role, she'd storm over to Will's apartment to raise Hell. 'Why didn't I get it?' 'Why didn't you find better roles?' 'I had it in the bag!' 'Dammit, I shouldn't even be here!' Every time the same words and every time the blame thrown at him, and it was always worse if she didn't get the part after a callback. Because it was so close to her grasp and she'd barely missed the role each time. He was always very calm and reassuring with her, but enough was enough; all he had to do was find the auditions – it was up to _her_ to get herself the job.

So this time, when she showed up at his doorstep to raise hell, he yelled at her in the hopes that he would light a fire under her stubborn ass and make her work harder for it. Instead, he'd caused her to storm out of his apartment with tears on her face.

"Emma! Emma, no – wait!" He called out, rushing forward to the door and yanking it open, but she was already in the lift, going down. Letting out a yell of frustration, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed her number, walking into the apartment and laying down on the couch in the living room.

"_Hey! You've reached Emma. I can't talk right now, but apparently you can, so here comes the beep. I'm sure you know what to do with it!_"

"Dammit, Emma! Answer your phone. I'm sorry, okay? That was a jerk thing of me to say. You know I don't mean it…Please come back and we'll talk about this. We'll talk about what parts we can find for you again; see if we can come at this from a different angle. Maybe try acting classes again." Will paused, running a hand over his face. "Remember the last time you stopped answering when I called? I called and texted you for four hours straight until you answered. Let's see how long you hold out this time." He ended the call and opened a text message.

_I'm an ass. Come back. –W_

He groaned and set his phone down against his chest, running a hand through his hair. The past seven months working with Emma may not have been successful when it came to getting jobs for Emma, but it was successful in making Will develop feelings for her – strong ones. Ever since he met her, there were lurking feelings, of course, and he figured it was inevitable. Emma was the sweetest girl in the world with a pure heart, even if she did come off as sarcastic and as though she didn't give a damn about anything. Her defense mechanisms made her all the more adorable.

The moment he realized just how much he cared about her, he was sitting in the back of a theater, hiding. From his place in the very back, he could see her sitting in the front, anxiously awaiting her name to be called to go up on the stage. A couple of weeks prior, she auditioned to play Princess Winifred the Woebegone in an off-Broadway production of _Once Upon a Mattress_. She received notification about a callback and was so thrilled she jumped into Will's arms and kissed his cheek.

As he sat in the back of the theater, noting that she was only up against five girls, Will had a feeling in his gut that Emma was going to get the role. When her name was called, Will slouched a bit lower in his seat, though Emma couldn't see him whether he did or not. She had no idea that he was there, but for some reason he felt compelled to go watch her audition.

"_Emma Pillsbury."_

_Emma cleared her throat and shot up out of her seat, marching onto the stage and standing under the spotlight, smiling. "I'm Emma Pillsbury."_

"_Great. Whenever you're ready."_

_Emma cleared her throat, taking a moment to compose herself before nodding that she was ready. A resounding voice rang out._

"_YOU SWAM THE MOAT?"_

_All it took was that small inquiry to see Emma literally change into someone else before his eyes. Her confidence on that stage was something she rarely held, and this time, she actually meant it. _

"_Alright, I was a little anxious!" Emma began, giving the woman holding the audition a look, "My friend, Sir Harry, he told me you had an opening for a princess – ANY princess! I figured…the early bird…" _

_Emma gestured to herself, giving a sure look before quickly turning slightly awkward and clearing her throat, "Ohhhh, anyway…here I am!"_

_Awkward laugh._

"_Who's the lucky man?"_

_As the music struck up, Emma spun around, pointing, prancing…she was someone Will had never seen in person or in audition, and it amazed him. She was wonderful – more wonderful than usual. She was perfect. Then she started belting out notes, something Will had never heard her do in any auditions, and he was completely blown away. He couldn't help himself laughing a bit as the song continued; it described Emma so well. She was singing about being a shy girl who put on a mask of confidence and assuredness. If that wasn't Emma, Will didn't know what was, and she sang it with such conviction that you could tell she was more than auditioning – she was attempting to prove something. Whether it was to herself or to the woman holding the auditions, Will didn't know and he didn't care. All Will knew was he could not stop staring at Emma, no matter how hard he tried. She was beautiful, she was talented, she was sweet and funny and even when she was bitchy, she was adorable. She was perfect._

Thinking back on that made Will further frustrated. She was so good; how could he tell her that she wasn't good enough? Hadn't she told him that she feared inadequacy? Had she not confided in him that her parents were constantly telling her she wasn't quite good enough and she should do something practical? How could he be such an ass and use that against her?

Groaning, Will picked up his phone again and called her number, tapping his fingers against his chest. It went straight to voicemail.

"_Hey! You've reached Emma. I can't talk right now, but apparently you can, so here comes the beep. I'm sure you know what to do with it!_"

"Gah! Emma, come on. Answer the phone. Turning it off won't stop me from calling you. I hope you like voicemails." Will ended the call and called back four more times. He couldn't decide if he was calling mainly to apologize or just to annoy her enough to not walk out on him next time they argued. They weren't even together and it felt like a relationship that he'd managed to screw up.

Will glanced at the clock and groaned, realizing she probably went straight from his place to work, which meant her phone could be off for the next eight hours while she worked at the bar. Standing up, he snatched his keys from the coffee table and headed down to her workplace, somewhere he'd never been before, mainly because he knew Emma thought he wouldn't take her seriously anymore after seeing her at her job.

Strolling into the sports bar, Will saw Emma's roommate, Corrine, standing behind the counter. He walked over and leaned against it, waiting for her to give him her attention.

"What do you want?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him as she wiped down the counter.

"I want to talk to Emma. Is she here?"

Corrine nodded. "She's here. She doesn't want to talk to you, though."

"Look, can you just tell her that I'm here?" Will looked at her hopefully, watching Corrine closely as she leaned forward, her face just inches from him.

"You made her cry. I don't know exactly what you said, because we're going to talk after work, but I haven't seen her cry like that since the last time she talked to her parents. So I don't know what you did or said, but you messed up."

He dragged a hand across his face and nodded, "Yeah, I know I did, okay? And I'm sorry, but if she won't talk to me, she won't ever hear the apology. Though honestly, criticism is a part of her job; she needs to learn to take it."

"You really are a dumbass, you know that?" Will looked at Corrine, taken aback by her words. Yes, she was rough around the edges and definitely a tough kind of girl, but she'd never openly insulted Will to his face in all the times that they'd met. "She can take criticism from strangers and people that she doesn't care about, but the minute someone she cares about criticizes her, she takes it harder and much more personally. She acts hard on the outside because she's so delicate inside. How have you not figured that out from working with her?"

Will laughed. "That's where you're wrong. For being like a big sister to her, you're severely uninformed; Emma hates me."

"Whatever, man. She doesn't want to see you. You can grovel later." Corrine smiled as sweetly as she could before going to help another person, who was actually planning on eating. Will sat at the bar for a bit, looking around, contemplating waiting until Emma was off when he saw her.

She walked out from the back of the place, a large tray of food held up on one of her hands as she strutted her way to a table a few feet away from him. Will couldn't help but stare at her. This was a side of Emma he never even imagined.

She walked to the table and set the tray on a stand, handing out the different dishes to each guy at the table. She let out a small giggle when one of the men kissed her cheek and she tapped his shoulder playfully, shaking her head, "Now, now, Tom. Whatever would that beautiful wife of yours say?" He heard her ask, smiling at him and tapping his hat, "Alright, boys. If you need anything else, you know where to find me."

Picking up the empty tray, Emma walked back and returned it to its place, and Will's eyes continued watching her. She was hot. Why did she always wear those stupid pencil skirts? Her legs were amazing, and cropped tops were definitely not harming her, either. He bowed his head and pretended to look at a menu when he saw her turning and focused on the words before him. She'd be even more pissed if she knew he came to her workplace to see her. No amount of bowing his head could disguise his mass of curls that Emma had grown to recognize, however, and she walked over, standing on the side of the counter opposite and looked at him, a small glare plastered on her face.

"Better let Corrine know we've got a rat problem." Emma looked at him, waiting for him to look up at her, still hurt by his words.

Will looked up at her apologetically and let out a sigh. "Come on, Em. I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean it."

"No, I think that you did. You know, you really are a smug bastard."

"Excuse me?" He scoffed, his eyebrows furrowing together.

"You're just a smug jerk. When I first met you…all you ever did was smirk and look smug like I was going to be your newest creation, like you were going to have some big part in my success and I wouldn't have anyone to thank but you. Well looks like you were wrong, because you've got a big part in my failure, and that's all that you've done. But you're a smug asshole who can't accept that he's part of the problem, part of why I'm not getting anywhere with this." She set her jaw and stared at him, her face blank, but her voice conveying nothing but honesty and truth behind her feelings. She wasn't trying to get him back for what he told her; she was being honest.

"Come on, Emma. You know I didn't mean what I said to you. Don't be so mean." He looked honestly hurt by her words, and usually Emma would feel bad, but he'd hit a nerve with her.

"Oh, so then you were lying when you said that?" She raised an eyebrow at him and nodded, "Awesome, then your work here is done."

"Emma, what…?" Will looked at her, his mouth falling open. What in the world just happened?

"One condition, Will. One. Condition. Don't lie to me. We're done here. Now if you'll please excuse me, I have other people here who are actually helping to pay my bills, so…" She nodded once and picked up a pad of paper, heading over to a table she hadn't yet helped, leaving Will wondering how the hell he messed up so badly.

-x-x-x-

Three weeks passed and still, Will heard nothing from Emma. He called her each day, leaving her a message of apology, followed by a text. Damn, she was good at blocking him out completely. Finally, after twenty-two days, Will had come to the conclusion that it was a lost cause, and feelings for her or not, she was never going to come around to him. He was walking down the street one day, not even realizing that he was walking towards the sports bar Emma worked at when he ran into Corrine on the street. He was staring at the ground, hoping to hide his face from her, but it was useless as she grabbed his arm and dragged him down a side alley, pushing him gently against the wall and staring at him, her hands on her hips.

Will stared at Corrine, wondering what she was going to do to him, but after a few minutes of silent staring, he cleared his throat, "I know, stop calling her."

"I cannot begin to express how sick of you I am right now. She will _not _shut up about you, dear God." Corrine's fists clenched slightly and she shook her head, "You call? She ignores it and won't shut up about you. You don't call? She wonders why and won't shut up about you. I cannot handle hearing, 'You know, another thing about Will,' one more time, Will. I can't do it!"

It took Will a few moments to process what Corrine was saying, shaking his head to clear it before swallowing and furrowing his eyebrows. "What – I haven't heard from her in three weeks, Corrine. I've done nothing."

"Nothing and yet everything. She rants about you every. damn. night. Dinner is a nightmare and usually burned or chopped to a pulp because the more into her rants she gets, the more aggressive her cooking becomes. You know she's giving up on acting, right?"

"Because I told her she's not good enough once – and lied when I said so – she's giving up on acting? What happened to her saying she just wants to make people feel?" He asked, a mocking tone in his voice. Corrine stepped forward, looking at him seriously.

"You really didn't get to know her at all in the time that you worked for her, did you? Emma isn't told once by you that she's not good enough. She hears it from her parents all the time and occasionally her brother. Until she met you, I was the only one encouraging her, and I don't understand why you telling her she wasn't good enough triggered her to quit it, but she's done. She's got four more auditions lined up, and if she doesn't get any of the parts, she wants to pack up and head back to Lima."

"Why are you telling me this?" Will asked, honestly confused about why Corrine would throw all of this on top of him. He already felt guilty for yelling at her and telling her she wasn't good enough; why did she need to pile this on top?

"Because you need to know that you're not the only one who broke a condition." Her shoulders rose and fell gently, looking at him. "I love Emma with my whole heart, but I am tired of hearing about you, and I'm pretty sure you're the only one who can stop it and—"

"And she won't answer her damn phone, so I can't stop anything!"

"Okay, I'm going to prove to you that she broke the condition, and then you're going to stop it. You're going to find a way to get her to shut up about you and your smug smirk, and then you're going to figure out a way to get her to stay in New York. Got it?"

"How am I sup—"

"Oi! Got it?"

"Got it."

"She goes into work at three today. I have my assistant manager covering the place for the evening, which means when I get off at five, you're going to be at my apartment, and we're going to plan out how to fix my beautiful surrogate sister. Got it?"

"Got it." Will nodded, uttering the two words. He didn't know whether to be thankful that he was going to have a chance to fix things with Emma, or frightened of her roommate.

"See you at five." Corrine stepped away, walked out of the alley and turned towards work, leaving Will leaning against the wall on the side of the alley.

He stood there in silence, his brain swimming as he attempted to piece together Corrine's words. If Will gathered everything correctly, he'd royal screwed Emma over, helped to further shatter her confidence, and she broke a condition…meaning his condition…meaning she loved him…and Corrine planned on proving it to him.

"You couldn't just become an Economist, could you?" He asked himself loudly, running a hand over his face. Will pulled out his phone and checked the time. It was noon. That gave him five hours to be at Emma and Corrine's. With no clients, he had nothing to do, so he lifted himself up off of the alley wall, letting out a sigh and heading towards Starbucks. Something told him he was going to need a _lot _of caffeine tonight.

By the time five o'clock came around, Will had downed four double-shot espressos at Starbucks and he was jittery. Whether it was from all the caffeine running through his veins or the fact that he was about to spy on Emma, he didn't know. He decided to chalk it up to caffeine. Hurrying up the stairs to Emma and Corrine's apartment, he rapped on the door quickly, jumping in his spot as Corrine unlocked the door. A hand reached out and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him through the door and closing it behind him, locking it again.

"Are you sure we should be doing this? If Emma's already pissed, how do you think she is going to feel knowing that I'm hiding in her apartment listening to her be pissed?" Will swallowed, staring at the woman before him.

"The worst that will happen is she hates you, which really won't be much different than her ignoring you now, and she won't do my laundry for a couple of weeks. That's always her punishment for me. So as long as you're not afraid, we'll do it."

Will took a deep breath, "How do you know she's going to rant?"

"Alright, so here's how it happens. She goes in at three for her shift every day, comes home around nine. We go into the kitchen and she starts to cook dinner because sometimes I can't cook to save my life. All I have to do is ask if she's found any work lately and it sets her right off. Trust me. She's going to rant." Corrine nodded, removing her coat and hanging it up, "Now, we're going to get you set up in my room. It's right next to the kitchen and you can hear everything through a vent in the wall."

Will nodded. "Alright, sounds fine. What, er…if she's not here for four more hours, why am I here now?"

Corrine shrugged. "I figured you wouldn't come if I gave you a longer time frame to be here." She snorted a little bit and headed to the kitchen, "You want anything?"

"Just water's fine. I may have downed a ton of coffee and now I'm all jumpy." He followed her into the kitchen, sitting down at the table and resting his head in his hand, watching her. "So I know I'm in no position to tell you what to say to Emma or anything, but maybe suggest that she applies to a performing arts school, just to see what she says. If she's up to it, I'll apply on her behalf; maybe get myself back in her good graces."

Corrine gave him a water bottle and sat down across from him. "I'll try; that's one thing I've yet to suggest to shut her up about you. Usually I just pretend to listen, nod and then go, 'Hey, Em. Let's just watch _John Tucker Must Die_' and then she's goo for a while."

"John Tucker Must…wow, that doesn't speak about how she feels toward me at all."

"Hey, it's your own fault, smugstard."

"…Smugstard?"

"It's faster than just saying smug bastard, but it has the same effect. Emma's idea, not mine. Though I wish I'd come up with it sooner." Corrine laughed and Will laughed as well, unable to help himself. For being so tiny, Emma sure knew how to be a bitch when it was necessary.

-x-x-x-

By the time nine o'clock rolled around, Emma was exhausted. She strolled through the front door of the apartment, closing it behind herself and smiling at Corrine on the couch. Unbeknownst to her, Will was in Corrine's room, hiding in the far corner next to the vent, ready to be proven wrong.

"Hey, red," Corrine said, smirking slightly. _Let's get this show on the road_, she thought to herself. Just as she hoped, Emma rolled her eyes.

"Red? Really, who are you, Will Schuester?" She scoffed and dropped her bag heading straight to the kitchen. She yanked open the fridge and pulled out a ton of vegetables, in the mood for a big salad. She pulled out the cutting board and set it on the counter, grabbing a knife just as Corrine walked in, setting it on the board and starting to wash the dishes. "I mean seriously? Red? Who does he think he is, some nineteen-fifties mobster? As if. He's not cool enough." She scrubbed the veggies furiously, setting each one in a fresh bowl to be held until she was ready to chop the crap out of it.

Corrine sat at the table and leaned her head into her hand, watching Emma. "Come on, Emma. You've been on about him for weeks now."

"Well I have a right to! Not good enough? Not good enough?" Emma picked up the knife and started chopping away at some carrots. "Not good enough my ass. Who does he think he is? Simon Cowell? I don't think so, mister smug-ass bastard. Oh, I'm Will. I have a gorgeous smile and stupid curly hair. I think I'm Jesus and I'm going to tell you you're not good enough." She stabbed a piece of carrot before cutting it in half, shaking her head.

"If you're good enough, then why does what he say matter to you?" Corrine was usually silent during Emma's rants, but not today. Today she was going to get Will the information she thought he needed to get Emma to shut up about him.

"It just does, okay?"

"Because you like him."

"Ugh, no. I don't like him."

"Then you love him."

"I don't love him, either. Sure, he's got an amazing smile that practically blinds you, and he's got awesome curly hair, but he puts so much lard in it you can see your own reflection. But he's still an ass, Corrine. I don't like him, I don't love him. I don't want him to call me, either, and you know what? Today, he didn't call me. Finally, I've been waiting for him to stop again." She tossed the carrots into another bowl, grabbing some celery and starting to chop away.

"That's great, Emma! Now you don't have to listen to his rambling messages."

Emma slammed the knife down and whipped around to look at Corrine. "Great? Great? That's not great, Corrine! Dammit, what's wrong with him? What's wrong with me? I'm not good enough to act and I'm not good enough to chase after? I mean come on! Make up your mind, either you like me or you don't and apparently he doesn't or he'd keep calling!"

Will sat against the vent, his hand over his mouth, trying not to laugh. Emma was being absolutely ridiculous, talking in circles. But he wasn't laughing because she was funny; he was laughing because she was so adorable.

"But again, Emma, if you don't like him, it doesn't matter that he doesn't like you."

"No, I don't like him. Because unlike the smug, smirking asshole, _I _know how not to break a condition. I know where my boundaries are. I don't lie and I don't love him. And I don't lie about loving him because I don't love him. Loving him would be like loving a turtle."

Corrine let out a laugh. "A turtle?"

"Yes! A turtle! You think they're all cute and sweet and adorable, but then you think 'Hm. I'm going to give him a peach.' So you do. And then he snaps and bites you in the ass." At that, Corrine started laughing so hard, she couldn't breathe. Emma's face got really red and she turned around, angrier than she should be, an started stabbing away at vegetables. "I'm being serious, Corrine Amelia Hampton."

"Whoa! Okay, _mom_." Corrine said, immediately sobered by her full name. "I just – peach is a…a…nevermind. Okay, so don't give him your peach, then. Don't even give him the satisfaction of getting to you. Why don't you apply to a few theater arts schools? Prove that you're good enough."

Emma shook her head, setting the knife down and piling all of the vegetables into one big bowl, adding some chickpeas and left over chicken before tossing it all together with a lemon dressing. "I…no. No, I don't need to."

"Are you sure it's not the only way left? You've got those auditions lined up, Em, but after that, you said you're heading back to Lima. Why are you giving up when you haven't even tried out all of the options?"

"Because I have, Corrine, okay? Do you want some salad?" She asked, grabbing a couple of bowls and filling them both, knowing Corrine would eat with her.

"Yeah, I do," Corrine said, grabbing them some water. She sat down at the table again and looked at Emma. "Well that's great, though, Em. When will you hear back from them? We'll have to have a party for you at work when you get in."

Emma walked over with the salad bowls in her hands, setting one in front of Corrine and sitting in her own seat, stabbing a piece of lettuce with her fork and taking a bite. "Don't bother, it won't be needed."

"Ah, Em. Don't – of course it's needed. It'll be your dream you're chasing! Of course we'll throw you a CONGRATULATIONS, YOU GOT IN! party" she said, yelling the party theme and smiling. Will was right – talk to her about performing arts school and she stopped talking about him. How did she not think of this sooner?

"It won't be needed because I'm not going to school for acting." Emma sighed and looked at Corrine, swallowing. "Before I actually moved here, I applied to three different performing arts schools, two ivy leagues and NYU. I got rejection letters from every single one of them. I've reapplied a couple of times to a few of the schools, but I'm still not getting in, even when I send in my portfolio. Nothing. I just got another rejection from AMDA, and on the day that I got that rejection, I was also told by Will that I'm not good enough. So. I always said if I didn't find work by the time I was twenty-one, I'd go back to Ohio, attend Ohio State and study psychology. I'm just cutting my time here a bit short."

The girls fell quiet, each of them eating some of their salad. Will sat next to the vent in Corrine's room feeling even more awful for going off on Emma. It was more than just being told that she wasn't good enough by him; she'd been told she wasn't good enough on a level that actually mattered. It was a few minutes before Emma piped up again.

"I'm sure Will would just be so thrilled to hear that I've flopped down on my face. He's just such an ass! I can't believe I trusted him to find me work; not that it did any good." Emma rolled her eyes, sipping on her water.

"Okay, Emma, I've seriously had enough of this." Corrine set her fork down and folded her hands in front of her.

"Enough of what?"

"You denying that you love this guy."

"I don't! Look, he can take his cute, smug face and marry a cute little trophy wife and have trophy children that I've _never_ imagined with red curly hair _ever_, and be on his own smug, smirky way." Emma crossed her arms and looked at Corrine. How dare she insinuate that she loved him? It was breaking the condition; she would not own up to breaking a condition.

"Yes, you do. And I'm going to prove it to the both of you."

Will's eyes widened at her words and he closed his eyes and crossed his fingers, praying that Corrine wasn't about to call him out there. He did not want to face Emma right now. He needed time to process everything and then talk to her later.

"And how do you suppose you'll do that?" Emma asked, cocking an eyebrow. "If you say call him, forget about it, I'm not calling him."

"Fine. I'll do it for you. WILL!" Corrine turned towards the door, looking back at Emma, "He's been listening through the vent in my room. WILL GET OUT HERE!"

Emma's mouth fell open, looking at Corrine with fire in her eyes. "You cannot be serious."

Will groaned, standing and walking to the kitchen, running a hand over his face before entering. "Oh, she's serious. Hey, Emma."

"Oh my god. I just….wow. So what you're going to sit me down with him and force me to listen to his apologies? No." Emma stood up and took the dishes to the sink, starting to walk away, but Corrine stepped in front of her, shaking her head.

"Oh no you don't, Emma. You're going to sit your stubborn ass down, and he's going to sit his smug, bastard ass down, and I'm going to tell you the times I've witnessed you expressing love for Will, and then he is going to tell you that he's sorry and whatever else he wants to tell you, and then you're both going to shut up. You're not going to talk about Will anymore, and he's going to stop calling and whining on our answering machine and your voicemail. You'll either come to peaceful terms of love and kindness towards one another, or he'll go back to being an asshole on his own and you'll go back to Lima on your own. Got it?"

"But Corrine—" Emma looked at her, but Corrine put her hand over Emma's mouth.

"Ah-ah! Got. It?"

Emma nodded, rolling her eyes. "Yeah. Got it." She said, pushing Corrine's hand away and moving to sit next to Will, Corrine sitting next to Emma. She turned and glared at him. "You touch me, look at me, or breathe funny and your smug smirk is going to have a smug split lip, Schuester."

Will looked at Emma and laughed, shaking his head and turning to Corrine. "Whatever you say, Red." Corrine reached over and grabbed Emma's arms, just as she clenched a fist.

"Hot damn, you two are worse than Catherine and Heathcliff."

Emma pulled her hands from Corrine, ignoring the reference to her favourite book. She crossed her arms and looked at Corrine. When Corrine was sure they were both going to stay quiet, she cleared her throat and looked between them.

"Exhibit A. Emma comes home from the theater." Corrine began, sitting back and folding her hands on the table. This was going to be a long night.


	4. The First Step is Admitting You're

**R&R always loved :3 _Streetlights_will be updated soon and _Willow Jane _will be updated in the next couple of days.**

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Chapter 4: The First Step is Admitting You're in Denial

"Exhibit A. Emma comes home from the theater." Corrine began, sitting back and folding her hands on the table. This was going to be a long night.

Emma raised her eyebrows as her eyes narrowed, staring at her friend. She wasn't sure if she was going to appreciate this discussion much, seeing as Will was present to hear it. Not only the fact that he was present, but it was more the fact that he'd been eavesdropping on her the whole time, then welcomed into the kitchen for the conversation by Corrine, like eavesdropping was smiled upon in everyday life. She glanced over at Will who was smirking again, looking at Corrine. He didn't seem worried in the slightest about what she would be saying, and why would he be? She wasn't about to spill information about him; it was all going to be about Emma.

_Emma walked back from the theater after meeting Will Schuester for the first time. She gripped the business card in her hand, holding onto it as if it was her life-line. It was a risk for sure, going to meet a man whose legitimacy as an agent was up in the air, but that's what Google was for. If she found anything fishy online, then she'd just not show up at noon the following day. It really wasn't that hard of a thing to do, but she at least had to look into him. This could be her chance._

_Could be. There was so much could be and what if and maybe going around. Emma supposed that was a part of her chosen career path. Loads of uncertainty was involved. In a way, it was the perfect career for Emma. She was always uncertain of everything; her family, her life, her job, herself. Half of the time, she was only pretending to be as confident as she appeared to be. There was nothing to be confident about in her opinion. She was good, yes, but there was _always _going to be someone better, whether she liked it or not. There was no certainty that she was the best. She knew that she wasn't. But she could be. There were those two damn words again._

_Her inner monologue was interrupted as she reached her apartment building, heading up the cement steps through the double doors. She passed through, heading to the stairs, pushing open the heavily rusted door before beginning her ascension to her floor. Once in front of the door, she opened up her satchel bag and rummaged through it for her keys, grabbing her apartment key and ramming it into the lock, jostling it slightly before turning it and pushing the door open._

"_Corrine!" She called, slamming the door behind herself and dropping her things by the door, walking towards the kitchen where she heard noise._

"_You got it?" Corrine asked excitedly, walking over to her with a wide smile and handing her a pasta dish she'd made. Pasta. It was one of the _few _things Corrine knew how to cook and not kill people._

"_No. Better. I think I may have fallen in love." Emma announced, taking the plate happily and moving to the table. She sat down and took a few bites, smiling. "Good job, C. I'm not choking yet." She giggled and took a sip from a glass of water already on the table._

"_In love! My, that's much better than a part, for sure! With who?" Corrine asked, smiling at the compliment of her food. "No, no! Wait, let me guess. That really hot guy from the book shop? You know, the one with the thick-rimmed black glasses and the plaid button-downs that you incessantly flirt with to no avail." She wiggled her eyebrows, beginning to eat herself, nodding to herself in approval of her dinner attempt._

_Emma pressed the business card against the wood of the kitchen table, pushing it across to Corrine and smiling widely. "We met at the theater."_

"_Oh, was he a dark and tortured soul looking for an innocent maiden to bite and mark eternally his?"_

_The ginger's eyebrows raised and she snorted. "Corrine, you do realize that just because we're theater people, it doesn't mean we're depressed vampires looking for victims, right? You've seriously got to stop reading those books."_

"_Hey, you think of yourself how you want to and I'll think of you all the way it really is." Corrine laughed, wiping at her mouth with a napkin, leaving a smear of dark red lipstick against the white material. "Seriously, though, was he up for a part? Did you have a chemistry test? Did things heat up in the dressing room?"_

"_You have got to stop watching television, too. No. None of that happened. He snuck into the theater dressed as a janitor, actually. He found me crying in the back. I'd stayed to wallow in self-pity after I didn't get the part. Again. I'm seriously considering giving up."_

_Corrine nodded, taking another bite. "Okay, so where does he fit into your quitting and a janitor? Em, that's sort of sketchy, and if I'm saying it, you know it's true."_

_She had a point. Corrine had a tendency to hang out with quite a crowd of people. Many of them were sketchy looking, but they weren't. They were a great group of people and Corrine was a great judge of character. Emma couldn't help but think that she was wrong about this._

"_He said it was some undercover something or another. Look, it could be sketchy, or it could be destiny. He says he can help me get a part."_

"_And how does he suppose he is going to accomplish that? Pray tell my dear Emma."_

"_I don't know yet. He said for me to stop by his office tomorrow at noon and we'll discuss."_

_Corrine nodded, looking at Emma as she continued to eat. She watched her roommate for a moment before smirking slightly, taking a drink of water. "I know what this is about," she said, setting her glass back down._

"_What's that?" Emma asked, engrossed in her dinner. She was so hungry and she hadn't even realized it._

"_Your V Card is close to its expiration and you want to cash it in before it's stolen and abused or too old to be worth anything."_

_A gasp escaped Emma's mouth, causing her to inhale too sharply and start to choke a bit. She swallowed and coughed a few times, clearing her airways before taking a drink of water. Her watery eyes fell on Corrine and a look of shock crossed her face. Corrine began to laugh heartily, the laugh escalating to a point of silence, and she just sat there, red-faced and bouncing at the look on Emma's face._

"_That is disgusting! No, that has __**nothing **__to do with this! Gah, Corrine. That's a gift; a special gift to be given to my husband on our honeymoon…or maybe even later." Emma glared at her roommate, all appetite gone. She stood and took her plate, grabbing Corrine's as well and heading towards the sink, washing off the dishes before filling one side of the sink with hot, soapy water. She placed the dishes within and grabbed the sponge to wash down the counters._

"_Disgusting? Sure. Desirable? Definitely. Come on, Emma. Admit it. You say you're in love? That means you thought about the guy in a compromising situation."_

"_Figure of speech. Ever heard of it? I'm not in love with him; I barely know the guy. He was nice and he was sweet and he has these __**beautiful**__ hazel eyes that are to die for and curly brown hair that is gorgeous, sure. But unlike you, I know how to keep my thoughts in check, and I did not think about that, no."_

_Corrine nodded, watching as Emma fell silent. The tiny girl moved about the kitchen, finishing the counters, then moving on to wash the dishes, setting them in the rack to dry. A good fifteen minutes of silence passed before Corrine smirked, hearing Emma sigh quietly._

"_You're thinking about him in compromising situations now, aren't you?"_

_Emma threw the sponge down and her head fell as she came to lean against the counter. "Yes, dammit! I don't understand how you do that!"_

_Corrine just stood up from the table, laughing, and went to her room to leave Emma alone with her thoughts._

-x-x-x-

_Later that night, Corrine awoke to a light shining under her bedroom door. A glance at the alarm clock on the nightstand told her that it was three-thirty in the morning. She ran a hand over her face, taking a deep breath through her nose before heaving herself out of bed, walking over and yanking her door open. She padded quietly to the living room and found Emma crouched in the corner of the couch. Her knees were pulled up to her chest and her chin was resting on her knees. Her arms wrapped around either side of her legs, her hands coming to rest on the keyboard of her laptop. The index finger of her right hand was tapping the down arrow key repeatedly, her head shaking as she muttered under her breath._

"_Em?"_

_Emma's eyes darted towards Corrine and she let out an exasperated breath, sitting up and slamming her laptop shut. "Nothing!"_

"_Wh…what?" Corrine asked, squinting her eyes and shaking her head, thoroughly confused in her hardly awake state._

"_There's nothing! Hardly a thing about Summer Rain Talents or Will Schuester. I've searched through everything that I could, using a thousand different combinations of search terms and still there is nothing! How does someone that cute have nothing about them on the internet? How does someone like that stay under wraps and not have at least one shirtless photo on Google? I just don't understand it! How do I know that tomorrow isn't going to be the sketchiest meeting of my life? What if he's a murderer? What if he's got a foot fetish? What if he tries to confiscate my gift? OH MY GOD, WHAT IF HE'S A STAR WARS JUNKY? I CAN'T HANDLE THAT, CORRINE! I CAN'T! I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SPEAK WOOKIE!" Emma's voice rose to considerable volume, running a hand through her hair before throwing her hands up in defeat, swallowing hard. It was clear that she was extremely tired. This tended to happen when she was over-exhausted. She'd start thinking of some of the weirdest things and before you knew it she was freaking out about…well usually she was freaking out about something Star Wars related, which Corrine still could not comprehend._

_Corrine shook her head, trying to hold back a laugh at Emma's hysterics. "Seriously, Emma? You think this guy could be sketchy and your biggest worry is that he's a Star Wars nerd? We need to discuss your priorities in the morning…"_

"_We can't! I've got my meeting with Luke Thighwalker or whatever the hell that one guy's name is. The one whose father has the cape." Emma said, looking at Corrine._

"_Okay, then afterward. Make sure your hair is in ear-buns tomorrow. But for now, bed. You've got a meeting in seven hours. So up." She tugged Emma up by the wrists, pulling her to her own room and pushing her inside. "Goodnight, Emma." She closed the door and walked over to the laptop, grabbing it and shutting off all of the lights before heading to her own bedroom, closing the door and stashing Emma's laptop under her bed._

Will was laughing so hard, there were tears in his eyes. It was a silent laugh, one accompanied by a red face and a hand clasped over his mouth. He avoided looking Emma's way, knowing that a funny look would earn him a pretty little red mark on his face to match her red nail polish, as well as the blush on Emma's cheeks.

"Okay, Corrine. I would like to point out that you were planning on showing ways in which I love the miscreant sitting next to me. That story did no such thing."

"Hey, the miscreant can hear!" Will said, looking over at Emma, offense written on his face.

"Aw, you realize that you are a miscreant. I'm proud of you, Will. Admitting to the truth is the first step." Emma said, clapping her hands in mock astonishment.

"Thanks, Ricki Lake. Maybe you should take your own advice." Will's eyes narrowed at Emma as a smirk graced his lips.

"Which bit of advice? The bit in the back of my brain saying not to have gone to meet you, or the advice telling me to punch you in the nose right now."

"The bit of advice to admit the truth. I love you, Will. Four little words, twelve small letters, and one happy little piece of honesty."

"I would rather shave my head than admit that I love you." Emma said, gritting her teeth.

"So you do love me, you just won't admit it."

"I'd love to punch you. Can I admit that?"

"Okay, stop." Corrine smacked a hand on the table, a small smile on her face. "Emma, to answer you, yes, I am planning on explaining the ways in which I have seen you show your love for Will. However, everybody has to start somewhere, and that just happens to be your beginning. I felt it pertinent to get Will into the loop and," she turned to Will, raising an eyebrow, "just to be clear, you don't speak Wookie, do you?"

Will snorted. "Sure don't. I'm also not Luke _Sky_walker." He shook his head before muttering, "Thighwalker. You're dirty, Red."

Emma clenched her fists and glared at Corrine. She didn't want this. She didn't want to admit that she broke her condition before it was even set in stone. She didn't want to be in the open about her feelings. She wanted to move back to Ohio and go to OSU; she was tired of being unsuccessful in everything she did.

Corrine laughed at Emma, "Down, girl. See? He speaks English. That's one point for Will, right?"

"Whatever." Emma said, rolling her eyes, causing Will to laugh a bit. "Can you at least tell me how long this torture is going to go on?"

"However long it takes. I have a total of four more incidents that I'm going to bore you youngsters with. You coming back from your Starbucks meeting. You after your _Once Upon a Mattress _audition. You on Valentine's Day – oh yes, I'm going there." Corrine held a finger up to silence Emma as she began to protest. "And finally, you after Will told you that you're not good enough. After that, you may do one of two things, as I said. Admit that you love him, or walk away."

"Valentine's Day?" Will asked, raising an eyebrow and glancing between them.

"In due time, young Skywalker. We'll get there, but first, we must tackle others. Shall we proceed?"

Both Emma and Will nodded, causing Corrine to smile widely. "Exhibit dos –"

"Er..sorry, dos?" Will asked, raising an eyebrow. "Shouldn't it be Exhibit B?"

Emma shook her head. "No, she always changes it up. Just shut up and let her continue. My legs are ready to walk away." Will nodded.

"Right, sorry. Continue."

Corrine cleared her throat. "Exhibit dos. Emma returns from a Starbucks date with destiny."

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**DISCLAIMER: **Still don't own Glee, Emma or Will. Corrine Amelia Hampton IS my own character, though!


	5. Falling In Love at the Coffee Shop

**A/N: **I know, it took me long enough! Here is Chapter 5. The title comes from the song of that name by Landon Pigg.

As you all know, I hit a writer's block with this story for a little bit. I wrote this chapter over the past few days, and I'm pretty content with it, but my beta is in Italy for a while, so if it seems off it's because I don't have the usual back and forth about Corrine that I need when writing this story. So please bear with me while Tori's off prancing through Italy. Also, the next chapter of Willow Jane is in the works, and I'm pretty stoked with where that's going, so hopefully that will be posted soon as well. As always, R&R loved so much! Thanks for reading this ridiculously long author's note. -Tayma

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Chapter 5: Falling In Love at the Coffee Shop

Corrine cleared her throat. "Exhibit dos. Emma returns from a Starbucks date with destiny."

Emma let out a groan and sat back in her chair, starting to pick at her fingernails, avoiding all urges to look over at Will. She could feel him starting to watch her and she didn't like it.

_Emma walked into the apartment after her shift at work and sighed, slamming the door behind her. She was exhausted and had to work an extra hour later than usual to make up for being so late after coffee with Will. She dropped her bag by the door and shrugged out of her coat, letting it fall to the floor, too. Kicking off her boots, she walked toward the kitchen, finding Corrine at the table, reading and drinking some coffee. Emma plopped down across from her, laying her head on the table._

"_Coffee." She muttered, propping her head in her hand._

_Corrine laughed, getting up and pouring her a cup of coffee, adding in the proper amount of sugar and soy milk. She brought it to her roommate and handed it to her before sitting down._

"_So…how was it?"_

_Taking the hot cup, Emma lifted it to her lips and took a few gulps. It was hot, but it woke her up a bit more. After downing most of the cup, she could feel herself perking up and she shrugged. "It was just another normal shift. Though I did get more tips today, so that was a bonus."_

_Corrine rolled her eyes. "I was talking about your meeting with Will, and you know that."_

_Emma sighed and shrugged. "Can I go get changed and then we can talk about it? I desperately need a shower."_

"_Fine."_

_Corrine watched Emma leave and sat for a few more minutes, finishing up her cup of coffee and the chapter in her book. She stood up and walked to the living room, smiling widely. Moving to the closet in the living room, Corrine pulled out four thick blankets, spreading them across the floor. She laid down a few pillows and extra blankets to lay underneath, waiting for Emma to return._

_After a while, Emma finally walked out of her room, hair damp and wavy. She was wearing her favourite pajamas and her face was scrubbed free of all make up. She walked over to Corrine, eyebrows raised._

"_Are we having a slumber party?"_

"_You know it! It's always more fun to talk about boys in this format." Corrine smirked and rested back, looking up at her roommate. "I'll even braid your hair."_

_Emma thought this over for a moment before nodding. She loved having her hair brushed and braided, especially by Corrine. Corrine always ran the brush through her hair so many times, her hair was like butter and the brush was a knife. It was so calming and relaxing. She handed Corrine a hairbrush and hair ties before sitting down in front of her, leaning her head forward and letting out a small yawn. Corrine took the brush and began running it through her roommate's dark copper locks, removing any and all tangles. After a few moments of silence, Corrine smirked._

"_So tell me about him."_

"_There's nothing to tell," Emma shrugged, her eyes still closed, relishing the feel of having her hair brushed._

"_Don't lie to me, Emma. There's a whole hell of a lot to tell, and you know it."_

"_There really isn't Corrine."_

_Corrine tugged on Emma's hair gently. "You were late to work, so there's a lot to tell. Spill it."_

"_Okay, if you're going to pull my hair, I won't tell you anything!"_

"_You're already not telling me anything. It wouldn't be much of a difference. So spill it, Pillsbury."_

_Emma sighed. "Fine." She fell silent for a moment before letting out a breath. "Will is…interesting, I guess. He went to school for economics, but he left to take over the talent agency with his dad. His brothers work with him there, too. His favourite colour is blue and he loves Journey. The band. I mean, there are far better eighties groups to like, but I suppose I can live with a Journey lover if I have to. It's not like it's in one's DNA to like that music." She shrugged again._

"_What does DNA have to do with anything?" Corrine asked, her smirk growing._

"_Nothing. I'm just saying, you choose the music that you like. It's not born into you, it can't be passed down. That's all."_

"_You mean it can't be passed down to your offspring."_

_Emma rolled her eyes. "I'm not saying that at all, Corrine. I'm saying…I don't know what I'm saying."_

_Corrine nodded. "Alright, continue."_

_It took a bit, but Emma finally gave in, starting to tell Corrine about Will again. She told her everything she'd come to learn about Will that day. There was an unmistakable smile in her voice, and Corrine could hear what Emma didn't want to say. She liked Will, and she liked him a lot. Corrine knew her, though, and she knew that Emma wouldn't admit to breaking a condition if her life depended on it. Emma prided herself on following rules and always doing that which is expected of her, for the most part. When Emma finished speaking with a slightly dreamy sigh, Corrine used all of her willpower not to laugh at Emma and roll her eyes. Instead, she continued braiding her hair, covering up a small laugh with a cough._

_"So he's cute."_

_"No, he's not cute, he's just…personable. As an agent, he is personable."_

_"So he's cute."_

_"He is not cute, Corrine. He's nice. He likes to talk and he's friendly. I wasn't bothered having coffee with him."_

_"So you want to sleep with him."_

_"Corrine!" Emma reached behind herself, smacking her roommate as she continued to braid her hair. "At least act like a lady."_

_"I'm not you, Emma. I don't pretend to be someone I'm not." She tied the elastic to the bottom of Emma's hair and moved to lay next to her on their makeshift bed on the floor._

_"I'm not pretending anything, Corrine."_

_"Emma, in the two years you've been here, not once have you been late to work, even when you were sick you were early. Now you go to coffee with a guy at__ten in the morning__and arrive to work late almost six hours later? If you don't want to sleep with him, then you at least think he's cute and want to be around him, but you don't hate the guy, Emma. Even if you want to, you don't."_

_"You don't know that."_

_"I know you well enough to know that you like him. Deep down, you like that he's so smug and smirky. You liked having coffee with him, and you can't wait until next week."_

_Emma smiled and bit her lip, thinking forward to a week from now before shaking her head and making her face neutral. "Tss. Yes I can. I don't want to see him. I'm not excited for anything except the prospect of more work."_

_They were silent for a minute before Emma spoke up, speaking in a whisper. "He compared me to Lucille Ball."_

_"Is that good or bad?" Corrine asked, looking over to Emma._

_Emma swallowed and turned on her side, propping her head up and looking at Corrine. "He said he loved her, but…I've always identified with her. Her life wasn't as beautiful and glamorous as everyone imagines it to have been. She had a really difficult time and she acted happy on the outside to cover up the darkness within. She's…she's who I've always identified with since I was younger. It's like he knew me inside somehow." Her eyes faded slightly as her mind thought back to her afternoon spent with a man she'd met three times now, but liked more than she cared to admit, even to herself._

_"How do you feel about that, Em?"_

_Emma shook her head and shrugged. "He's just my agent. I don't feel anything about that. I feel like he better find me work."_

_Corrine rolled her eyes and nodded. "Okay, Emma." She rolled over and snuggled into her pillow, looking at Emma. "Goodnight, little sis. Sleep well, and if Will enters your dreams, cuddle your pillow, not me, will ya?"_

_Emma growled. "This is the last pretend sleep over we have, Corrine." She smirked a little and closed her eyes._

_"Oh, look. His smirk is already rubbing off on you."_

_Emma took a spare pillow and shoved it over Corrine's face. "Shut up. Goodnight."_

_Corrine just laughed and closed her eyes, leaving Emma to lay in silence, trying to convince herself that she wasn't developing feelings for a guy she'd met two days ago. That was a condition, after all, and she planned to adhere to it._

_Emma lay awake for hours, her brain debating what to do. Either she accepted that she broke the condition and she broke off the arrangement of having Will as her agent, or she tried to ignore the fact that she broke the condition and keep it from everyone – herself included. When sleep didn't come, Emma rolled over and tapped Corrine's shoulder gently. She started tapping again until she heard a groan from Corrine._

"_You awake?" She whispered, looking at Corrine._

_Corrine groaned, flipping over to look at Emma. "Am now. What?"_

_Hesitation. "I like him." She whispered quietly, looking at Corrine in the darkness. It took Corrine a moment to realize what they were talking about. She rubbed her hands over her face and sighed._

"_What?"_

"_Will. I like him."_

"_Okay. Why are you waking me up to tell me this?"_

_Emma bit her lip. "It was a condition. I couldn't fall in love with him."_

_Corrine sighed. "But you only like him, right? So until you cross over to 'love' you should be good."_

"_Have you ever met someone and it's like a switch went on? I think that happened, Corrine, and it's a short jump from just liking to loving. A switch was flipped and the light is on."_

_Corrine buried her face in a pillow. "Then turn the light off. It's keeping me awake, Emma."_

"_I'm serious, Corrine!"_

"_Yeah, and I am, too, Em. So you like the guy – it's not a sin. Just tell him and let me go back to sleep, Red." She smirked into the pillow._

"_Corrine, you're no help at all."_

"_That's what big sisters are here for." She was quiet for a moment before turning to look at Emma. "Look, Em. I can't tell you what to do here, but you need to tell him you love him so you're not leading him astray or breaking your condition. Maybe things will change."_

"_I don't love him. I like him."_

_Corrine rolled her eyes. "Either way, the switch is on and the light is keeping me from sleeping." Corrine leaned forward and kissed Emma's forehead before flicking it gently and turning over in the darkness, closing her eyes to fall back asleep, leaving Emma more confused about what to do than before._

"Okay, if I'm Luke Skywalker, she's totally Yoda." Will said as Corrine finished exhibit dos. "She always talks in metaphors." He looked at Emma. "You always talk in metaphors."

Emma glared at him. "I'm surprised you know what 'metaphor' means."

"Hey, I'm a smart guy who's got eight years of existence on you. Even if I didn't know what a metaphor was, all I'd need to know is that it means you love me in this instance."

Corrine pointed at Will and nodded before tapping her nose, laughing a bit. "She'll admit to it."

"I'll admit to nothing. Why would I? So Corrine can play the 'I was right' game and you can laugh at me and make fun of me for it?" Emma looked at Will and shook her head. "No. No, I'm sorry, I can't do that."

Will looked at Emma, then Corrine, then back to Emma. "No, that's not why." He paused and shrugged. "You should admit it because maybe then I'll admit to loving you, too." His face was sincere as he stared at her, just wanting to hear it come from her mouth that she loved him.

Emma stared for a second before bursting out laughing. "That's – oh! Oh! That's – ahaha! No. Oh…oh, Corrine, please…Exhibit Kumquat, please. It'll be less hilarious," she stated, regaining her composure.

Will did a weird double take at Emma's name for the next exhibit, but Corrine nodded.

"I like your style, Pillsbury. Schuester. Do you want to hear about Valentine's Day or after you said she's not good enough?"

Will looked at Emma, "Valentine's D—" Emma shook her head, looking at him pleadingly. "After I said she's not good enough." He said, nodding at Corrine. That was probably in the most important, after all. It led to them being here.

Corrine smiled widely. This was the one where she'd _have_ to either fess up or walk away. "Alright, then! Exhibit Kumquat: Will is a Douchebag."

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**DISCLAIMER: **Emma/Will are property of Fox and Ryan Murphy, as is Glee. Corrine is mine.


	6. It's Just Too Hard To Say

**A/N: **Oh, my goodness it's been ages! Hello, you guys! Gah, all the excuses in the world wouldn't excuse my absence from updating this story! In all honesty? I had a hard time writing this. I had (and still sort of have) awful writer's block, and having my little brother here as a distraction didn't help at all! He's gone now, though, and the block is breaking, so I bring you chapter 6! There will be a Chapter 7, of course, and *fingers crossed I don't jinx it* I want to have that up soon. So, R&R is loved as always, and I'm so sorry if this is off the mark. I promise the next chapter will make up for it all. -Tayma

* * *

Chapter 6: It's Just Too Hard To Say

"Exhibit Kumquat: Will is a Douchebag."

_Emma walked into the sports bar a wreck. Mascara was dripping down her face in streams with the tears leaking from her eyes, and her eyes bore into the ground as she walked towards the back to change and get ready for work. She tilted her head further down as she walked past Corrine, sniffling a little and wiping one stream from her eye, in the hopes that her roommate wouldn't notice anything was off. Little did she know, Corrine was watching her walk through the establishment, concern etched on her perfectly made up face. She watched Emma walk back to the employee locker room and finished up helping her current customer before walking back to check on Emma._

"_Hey, Em? You feeling alright?" The older girl asked, walking towards her in the locker room._

_Emma was facing her locker, changing into her work uniform. She nodded. "Yep. I'm fine." Another sniffle. She sat and turned to put on her shoes, taking a breath and glancing up at Corrine with a forced smile, but as she looked down at her shoes, the smile faded and the tears started up again. She threw the laces down on the ground and put her head in her hands, her elbows propped on her knees as she broke down again._

_Corrine sat beside the small girl and wrapped an arm around her. "Whoa, there. Who's ass do I need to kick?"_

"_I'll give you three guesses." Emma said, swallowing and wiping her eyes, trying to wipe away tears that were replaced moments later by fresh ones._

"_So I'm going to use one guess, say it was Will since that is where you were heading before work, and in exchange for my two unused guesses, I would like a smile and an explanation."_

_Emma's head shook and she made a frustrated noise, not wanting to cry over this anymore. She felt like it was pointless to cry when she was just told the truth. She should be thankful, right? Corrine sighed._

"_Okay, well do you want the day off? You're a wreck."_

_Emma glared at her through wet eyelashes, her lips in a straight line._

"_Not funny. Got it."_

"_I don't want the day off. I'll just go home and do something stupid." She muttered, clearing her throat and wiping her cheeks with the palms of her hands._

_Corrine nodded, "Alright. Take a few minutes to compose yourself, and then get your cute little ass to work, Pillsbury. You can take over my tables. Orders are in." The woman handed Emma her slips and winked. "Tom's at table three."_

_Emma couldn't help but laugh a little bit. Tom was forever flirting with her, never mind that he was over fifty and happily married. "Oh, happy day." She said before taking in a choppy breath and looking at Corrine._

_The dark haired woman stood and pulled Emma up with her. "Now get your face all pretty, and we'll talk after work." She smacked her ass before walking towards the door, causing Emma to jump. "Looking fierce, kid!"_

_About ten minutes later, Will walked into the establishment, eyes wide as he searched for Emma. Corrine sighed and rolled her eyes, spotting the man walking over to the counter. He had some nerve coming in here after upsetting Emma in such a way. Will walked up to the countertop, leaning against it and waiting for Corrine to give him the time of day; something he wasn't so sure he'd be getting._

_"What do you want?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him as she wiped down the counter._

_"I want to talk to Emma. Is she here?"_

_Corrine nodded. "She's here. She doesn't want to talk to you, though."_

_"Look, can you just tell her that I'm here?" Will looked at her hopefully, watching Corrine closely as she leaned forward, her face just inches from him._

_"You made her cry. I don't know exactly what you said, because we're going to talk after work, but I haven't seen her cry like that since the last time she talked to her parents. So I don't know what you did or said, but you messed up."_

_He dragged a hand across his face and nodded, "Yeah, I know I did, okay? And I'm sorry, but if she won't talk to me, she won't ever hear the apology. Though honestly, criticism is a part of her job; she needs to learn to take it."_

_"You really are a dumbass, you know that?" Will looked at Corrine, taken aback by her words. Yes, she was rough around the edges and definitely a tough kind of girl, but she'd never openly insulted Will to his face in all the times that they'd met. "She can take criticism from strangers and people that she doesn't care about, but the minute someone she cares about criticizes her, she takes it harder and much more personally. She acts hard on the outside because she's so delicate inside. How have you not figured that out from working with her?"_

_Will laughed. "That's where you're wrong. For being like a big sister to her, you're severely uninformed; Emma hates me."_

_"Whatever, man. She doesn't want to see you. You can grovel later." Corrine smiled as sweetly as she could before going to help another person, who was actually planning on eating._

_Just then, Emma walked out from the back, carrying a tray of food for the customers she'd taken from Corrine, rolling her eyes at the sight of Will and putting in a little bit extra pep when talking with Tom as she served him. Corrine watched out of the corner of her eye as the ginger moved to speak with Will, ready to kick his ass if he made her cry more._

_-x-x-x-_

_Later that night, Corrine sat in the living room watching the television. Emma was on the ground next to her, tearing up a large pile of papers, looking deep in thought. She hadn't said much since they got off of work and Corrine knew not to push her. Tease her? Sure. Push her? That was the easiest way to get her to clam up. When the pile was almost fully torn up, Emma sighed._

"_I think I'm going back to Ohio." It was as if she were discussing the weather._

_Corrine looked at her and paused the television. "You what?"_

"_I'm going back to Ohio. There's nothing left for me here."_

"_Em, there's a whole lot less for you in Ohio. Why do you want to go back?"_

_The redhead was silent, looking at the pile in front of her. She cleared her throat after a moment and looked up at Corrine, her eyes glossy. "I'm not good enough." Corrine gave her a look that said she needed more to go off of and Emma continued. "I'm not getting any roles, and I thought…I thought just maybe it was that they weren't the right parts, you know? Because I kept getting callbacks, but I never got cast." Her head shook. "I was wrong." One shoulder shrugged and more tears sprung forth, causing Emma to sniffle and turn back to her papers, tearing them again._

"_That is bullshit, Emma. Come on, you're so talented. You've come this far and you're getting so close. Don't give up now." Corrine could not believe what she was hearing. Emma always had such confidence and zest. She was always talking about giving it her all and not quitting until she'd accomplished what she came here for; this was not the Emma she knew._

"_It's not, Corrine. I'm not good enough, and I know I'm not. I'm going back to Ohio." She stood then, picking up her pile of shredded paper and walking to the living room. Corrine watched her go, shaking her head and standing to follow her._

"_Okay, time out. What the fuck happened between this morning and you coming in to work?" Her brow wrinkled, her head still shaking. "Corrine is out of the loop and she no likey this change in events. Explain."_

_Emma pushed everything down into the trash, sighing and turning to Corrine. "I – I went to Will's, you know, to see if he heard back about any of the auditions I'd been on last week. I didn't get any callbacks at all. Not one." She hopped up on the counter and looked at her roommate, running a hand through her copper locks and pushing them behind her ear. "I got frustrated, you know how I do, and I yelled at him that he wasn't finding the right parts for me to audition for. Because maybe he's not and I stand by that opinion. If it were better parts, I wouldn't be constantly disappointed." Emma ran her hands over her face and sighed. "Anyways, he yelled back that it wasn't the parts that weren't good enough. It was me that wasn't good enough." She swallowed. "And I believe him."_

"_You're a dumbass." Corrine said, laughing a little bit and shaking her head._

"_Excuse me?"_

"_He is a douchebag. He is a complete and utter asshole and you're sitting here letting him dictate the rest of your life because he's a washed up nobody who takes pleasure I basically telling a girl that she's fucked as far as her career choice goes?" She shook her head. "Em, if you believe him, you're an idiot."_

_Offense crossed Emma's face and her mouth fell open. "I – you don't understand it, Corrine, and you never will because you're so…you're so you! You can't…it's not that simple."_

"_Then explain it, oh, wise one." Corrine sat down, ready to listen to Emma, wondering how Emma had managed to complicate this scenario. It wasn't complex in Corrine's mind. It was just stupid._

"_We each had one condition for each other." Emma finally spoke after a few minutes of silence. Her eyes turned towards the ground. "And I broke mine. So what he says does matter to me. It probably matters too much to me."_

_Understanding rained down on the older roommate, staring across at Emma. She took a deep breath and nodded. "So tell him? Don't run off to Lima. Tell him, Emma. Make him feel like the asshole that he is!"_

_Her head shook. "No, I can't. I don't want to upset him, I just want to move past this. I'm done and I'm going home."_

"_But—"_

"_No, please. Stop. I'm going home, not now, but soon. So I need to go look up the price of a U-Haul. Excuse me."_

-x-x-x-

"So you love me." It wasn't a question leaving Will's mouth, it was a statement directed straight at Emma who was refusing to look up at him. "That's why you're so angry about all of this."

She remained silent and Corrine looked at Will. "Yes, you dumbass. She loves you. But she's Emma. She's going to lie."

Emma scoffed. "I don't lie!"

"Yeah, you do. That's why your condition to him was not to lie to you. Because liars don't like being lied to."

"I'm not a liar!"

Corrine snorted. "Well you're not a truther right now, either."

Will tried not to laugh and looked at Emma. "Come on, Red. Just come clean about it. You love me, right? Just say it. There is no way to deny it now!"

Emma fell silent, glaring at Will. She just wanted to stay stubborn and not admit it, not wanting to see his smug smirk.

He shifted closer and looked at her, holding her gaze, even if it was a glare. "Emma. I love you, too. It's not so hard to say. I regretted telling you that you weren't good enough the moment it left my mouth. I care about you, and I'm pretty sure I fell in love with you the first time I saw you, crying in the back of that theater. So I do love you, Em. Just say it back and we can move forward together." He looked at her pleadingly, an expression Emma had never seen him wear before. "Please." Will added, trying to make sure all his sincerity came across.

Emma just looked at him. "I have to go." She stood and walked out of the kitchen.

Will looked at Corrine and she shoved him slightly. "Go after her, dumbass!" She smacked him in the head for good measure, and then they heard the door slam signaling Emma's departure.

"Ow!" He rubbed his head and looked towards the doorway, then back at Corrine. "Would following her be smart?"

Corrine looked at him with a face that told him he was pathetic. "You really have to ask?" She questioned, standing and walking out towards her room, leaving Will alone in the kitchen completely confused.

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I still only own Corrine :) Everything else belongs to RIB/Fox/Glee**


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